Taking the Long Way
by Lionchilde
Summary: Beginning between Flesh and Blood and Morpheus, this AU explores the path from reluctant friendship to something more for Daniel and Vala. COMPLETE.
1. Twist and Lick

**_Taking the Long Way_**

  
is a new fic series completely unrelated to Rediscovered Hearts. It begins between the events of _Flesh and Blood and Morpheus_ and ends with a kiss. It was intended to remain canon, but accidentally went AU following _Memento Mori_. _Twist and Lick_ and _More_ were not included as part of the series for anyone who read them on my personal journal, because I had intended to keep them as canon one-shots. However, for simplicity's sake, I'm just re-ordering the series a little from my original post since they were the preludes to this series.

Note to readers. I actually did have a logical reason why I thought having them go to the beach would work. I _know_ there's no ocean in Colorado. However, my thought was this:

We don't necessarily know that Sol's was still in Colorado. We don't know how far away the Trust took Vala, and there were five locations...therefore, I thought it would be feasible that if they'd started out very early Saturday morning to get there, Sol's could've been somewhere closer to the Pacific, which would have enabled them to get to the beach before the end of the weekend. I'm on the East Coast, and geography has never been my forte, so if that doesn't work for you, the series did go AU in the end, so who knows? Maybe in my universe, Colorado is a an island. Or something. We _do_ want to see Danny and Vala sleep on the beach, don't we folks?

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"Hi!" Vala sprang up next to Daniel as he reached the front of the commissary line.

He ducked his head, sighing quietly as her arm slid through his. "Y'know, you just cut in front of like six people."

"Oh…well," Vala glanced over her shoulder, then looked back at him with a grin, "no one seems to mind."

"Right," Daniel clipped.

"So, what's for lunch?" Vala wanted to know.

"I have no idea what you're having," Daniel told her reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. "I'm just paying for some milk."

"Just milk?" Vala frowned slightly as he began trying to tug his arm free to make his purchase.

"Yes!" he glared, finally managing to disentangle himself and reach into the wallet.

Her eyes followed his hand, and he bit the inside of his cheek to restrain another sigh at the way she watched him slip the crisp green bills onto the counter. Doing his best to ignore her, he reached for a couple of Styrofoam cups from the stack by the coffee, and waited for his change.

"Oh," she said again. "Well, I guess I'll just have milk too."

"Why am I not surprised?" Daniel rolled his eyes. "Two please."

"Mmm," Vala tilted her head with a shrug. "No idea."

"Sure, Doctor Jackson," the commissary worker replied with a grin.

Daniel felt his jaw clench slightly at the look, but took his change silently and walked over to open the fridge. Vala trotted along beside him, pigtails bouncing, and reached in to grab two red and white cartons, then headed for an empty table.

"Not yet," Daniel caught her arm, steering her back toward the vending machines.

Vala raised an eyebrow, but turned curiously and waited while he inserted more money and selected some blue cellophane wrapped cookies. He punched the same number again, and she bent to pick up the packages from the slot at the bottom of the machine.

"Or…eos?" she pronounced slowly, giving him a questioning look.

"You'll see," Daniel's smile held just a hint of mischief as he gestured her toward the table. "In this culture, the eating of Oreos has been elevated to an art form."

"Oh…really…?" Vala frowned again, walking over to the table. Setting down her loot, she boosted herself onto the grey surface, rested her feet on the chair in front of her and waited expectantly.

"Mmm-hmm," Daniel nodded seriously. He set down the cups and reached to take one of the milks from her hand, opened it, and carefully filled the cup, then set the carton down and gestured for her to do the same with the second.

Somewhat nervously, Vala filled the cup, looking from it to Daniel several times, until he nodded approvingly. "Now what?" she asked, setting the carton down beside his.

"Now you move your feet," he said.

"Huh?" Vala's mouth popped open in surprise, and he waved a hand toward the chair. "Oh," she nodded, quickly moving them. 

As soon as he sat down, though, she planted them in his lap, and he let out a sigh of exasperation. He didn't push them away the way she'd expected, though, and she hid a smile by glancing down at the cookies again.

"All right," he said, plucking one of the packages from her grasp. "Now you gotta open them up and stack them next to the milk."

"Stack them?" she asked, both eyebrows shooting up as he began to do just that. "Why can't you eat them out of the package?"

Daniel paused, looking back at her with a small shake of his head. "You just can't. They're Oreos, Vala."

"O-_kay_…" Vala replied, then shook her head and slid a fingernail through the cellophane to open the package in her other hand.

"Good," Daniel nodded when she had all six cookies out and properly arranged beside her cup. Picking up one of his own, he held it up for her to see and then carefully dunked, allowing only about a third of the cookie to be submerged. "Now watch. You have to hold it in for a second so the milk soaks into the stuff in the middle, but not too long or it'll get soggy."

"Um…why?" Vala asked, watching him remove the cookie and take a slow bite, closing his eyes with relish.

"Because," he said, waving toward her own stack. "Just trust me, c'mon."

"All right," she sighed, watching him dunk his cookie again.

He finished it, grinning as she held the cookie in the milk. She held it in a bit long and a piece broke off as she bit into it, but her face lit up as her hand rose to catch the fallen crumbs in her palm. "Mmmm! Mmmm, Daniel, that's good!

"Told you," Daniel grinned again before realizing that he was staring as she licked the chocolate off her hand.

"You know," Vala's tone became suddenly serious. "A girl might think you missed her."

He cleared his throat, looking quickly away again, suddenly conscious of how glad he'd really been when she hadn't left as soon as she was cleared from the infirmary. She could have, he realized; though she sincerely did want to find a way of turning Adria against the Ori, she had her own resources--or at least her own means of acquiring them. She didn't really need him or the SGC and could have chosen to leave at any time.

"Daniel…?" she said again, slowly.

"Okay," he sighed, looking up again.

"Okay?" Vala asked. "Okay what?"

"I missed you," he admitted, holding up his thumb and index finger pinched closely together. "A little."

When she smiled, though, he swallowed hard and had to restrain himself from revising that statement. Her hand hesitantly touched his cheek, and she bent toward his mouth. Daniel swallowed again, half unwillingly moving toward her, eyes drifting toward her lips, where another crumb nestled…

"You're doin' it wrong, Jackson," Mitchell's voice sounded just before he reached it.

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c.

"Huh?" Daniel turned a rather bemused look on his teammates as they walked up to the table.

"You're supposed to twist and lick," Mitchell grinned.


	2. More

Post-ep for Counterstrike, by request.

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Daniel lowered himself tiredly onto the edge of the bed, holding the old framed photo with gentle hands. His eyes slid closed, burning with both exhaustion and the inevitable hint of tears. As his throat began to tighten, though, he quickly opened them and forced a smile. He tilted his head, slipped his right hand down to trace the contour of her cheek, and tried not to think about the fact that there were times when Sha're's face was a blur to him.

It had been ten years since she was taken as host to Ammaunet--almost seven since she died. His rational mind knew that it was perfectly natural for his memories to lose their clarity, but that didn't stop the tightening in his chest as he found himself having to look at the picture to recall exactly what she looked like. She was his _wife_. He'd come back to Earth, joined SG-1 for no other reason than to save _her_. How could her face fade when he still felt her arms, heard her laugh, tasted her lips?

Abydos was gone. Aside from the picture, which would in time fade as well, he had nothing left of her to touch. He needed his memories. He depended on them. Sha're had been the key that unlocked those memories when he returned from his brief time as an Ascended being. The dream he'd had of her had given him his first real hope of remembering who he was. If he couldn't hold the image of her face, what else would he lose?

Sighing, he carefully set the picture on the nightstand, laid his glasses beside it, and pulled his legs into the bed. The sheets were stiff and scratchy, and he suddenly wished that he'd driven home after all. Everyone had been exhausted, though, by the time they returned from Dakara. Sam and Mitchell had both decided to crash on base tonight as well.

It was for the best anyway, Daniel told himself as he pulled the covers up and turned onto his side. If they were all here, they could get an early start in the morning--and, he added firmly, his decision to stay overnight had _nothing_ to do with his proximity to Vala. Pushing her from his mind, he propped his head on his elbow, studied the photograph for a few minutes longer, then finally turned out the light.

"Goodnight, Sha're," he murmured as he settled back on the pillows.

Despite his weariness, he laid awake for some time, and was still only half asleep when he felt he felt the covers move back. His eyes popped open in confusion, and he lifted his head partially off the pillow, but Vala quickly slid in behind him, cutting off the chill of the night air against his back. Her arms had slid around his chest before he could offer a coherent objection.

"What are you--what are you doing?" he whispered as her chin came to rest on his shoulder.

"I thought you could use a hug, darling," she replied close to his ear, and he fought a shiver at the feel of her breath on his neck.

His head flopped back down in disbelief. "You thought I could use a hug," he repeated.

"Mmm-hmm," Vala's chin moved against his shoulder as she nodded. "I know it must've been difficult for you to tell me about Sha're today. Despite what you may think, Daniel, I'm not completely insensitive…"

"I don't--think that," Daniel replied, then frowned as he tried to pinpoint exactly what he _did_ think now. Vala had changed profoundly during the time she spent in the Ori Galaxy. In fact, if he'd been paying attention, he probably would have seen her changing even before the Beachhead. Oh, she was still ambitious and conniving--probably always would be--but she certainly had learned to care about more than lining her pockets or finding some fabled fortune in stolen treasure. He knew he'd seen genuine empathy from her about Sha're as well--but Daniel wanted more.

"You don't?" she asked hesitantly.

"No," he replied, resisting the urge to pull her arms tighter around him.

"Oh," Vala said flippantly, already attempting to mask the show of vulnerability. He winced, wishing he'd made some gesture after all.

_"Relief,"_ she'd snapped at him today. _"That's what I feel. Relief…"_

Even the admission had been painful for her; he'd seen it. He'd understood it, too, which he supposed was what had prompted him to answer her questions about Sha're later on. For him, there had always been a measure of comfort in knowing that someone--even partially--understood how he felt, but if she still couldn't share her emotions with him now that the initial crisis had passed…

_Then what?_ he asked himself suddenly. _If she won't share her feelings with me, what?_

"Vala," he sighed aloud.

"Hmm?" she asked, and he could almost see her forehead pucker in a frown.

The answer was simple. He wanted more.

He turned, trying hard not to notice the warmth of her thighs as their legs tangled. "Thank you," he said, his arms tightening around her. She held him closer in response, and he let his eyes close, allowing himself to finally enjoy her warmth, the softness of her skin, her scent around him.

"Tell me about Sha're," she said quietly.

Daniel's eyes reluctantly opened. "What?" he asked, frowning in confusion.

"Well, how did you meet her?" Vala asked.

He sighed again. There was almost no one he talked about Sha're with--and as much as he might want more from Vala, she hadn't given him any indication that she was ready to trust him with her real feelings--about Adria or anything else. Her admission of relief aboard the Odyssey had been a defensive instinct--an attempt to scare him off, not a show of trust. Finally, though, he decided that she probably wouldn't trust him if he didn't open up first.

"Never mind, darling," she said, starting to pull away. "I'll go."

"No," Daniel said quickly, tugging her back against his chest before he'd even realized he'd done it. Somehow, his hand found its way to the back of her head, and he stroked her hair awkwardly. "I--uh--I'm sorry. It--it's just that I don't--there aren't many people--um. Okay. Well, when the Stargate was first discovered on Earth, Jack O'Neill and I were part of the first expedition to a planet called Abydos…"

"That's where you met Sha're?" she interrupted.

"Yes," Daniel nodded. "The Abydonian people were enslaved to Ra, and we…eventually… sort of helped them stage a rebellion…"

"And she married you out of gratitude?" Vala asked.

"Not exactly," Daniel replied.

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" she wanted to know.

"Vala, I'm trying to tell you," he sighed in exasperation.

"Oh, right," she nodded, settling her head on his chest. "Sorry, go on."

He shook his head, feeling a fond smile tug at his lips, and began again. It was surprisingly easy once he found his way past his initial shyness. Vala did interrupt occasionally, but her questions quickly came to be less distracting. He soon found himself able to anticipate which details would interest her and which would illicit a bored yawn. Before long, questions from her only came during the lulls in his story, and always managed to draw him back out again when he hesitated or lost himself in some memory.

She seemed perfectly at ease, her cheek resting softly against his heart. One arm was draped lightly over him, the fingers of that hand moving idly along his shoulder. The rhythm of her breathing was deep and even, and he slowly realized that she was enjoying the closeness of his body in a way that had nothing to do with sex or even romance. Gratified, Daniel cast about for more to say when he finished with burial of the Abydonian 'Gate, but Vala supplied it for him.

"That's a wonderful story, darling, but you haven't told me one thing," she said.

"What's that?" he asked.

"You had a life here, although from what you've said it does sound rather dull," she pointed out. "So what was it about this woman that made you want to stay--give up everything and spend the rest of your life on another world?"

A wistful smile touched Daniel's lips, but as he drew a breath to reply, he began to feel uncomfortable again. He became suddenly and acutely conscious of what he was doing--lying in bed late at night, whispering with another woman--with Vala--about Sha're. He realized his hand was moving slowly up and down her back, that it had been for some time…and he didn't want to stop.

"She--made me realize a lot of things," he said evasively. "About life--about myself."

"Like…?" Vala asked.

He closed his eyes against the tears that sprang up and felt her hand slide down his arm, her slim fingers lacing through his. Slightly surprised, he gave them a grateful squeeze and said slowly, "She made me realize how little I knew about really living. That it wasn't just books and languages. Sha're's life was about people. She taught to appreciate people and who they were…but more than that, she helped me learn who I was.

"Abydos was the first place I really remember feeling like I fit," he went on. "But I guess it wasn't _Abydos_, really; it was Sha're and her family, and eventually all their people. They accepted me in a way I don't think I ever really had been."

"Hmm," Vala said noncommittally, her body tensing against him.

"Are you okay?" Daniel frowned. She relaxed again, but he could tell it was forced. His stomach knotted with regret as he realized that he might have inadvertently brought the unexpected intimacy to an end.

"Fine," she lied. "Tell me more about Sha're."

"No, really…"

"Daniel, please tell me more about Sha're," she interrupted.

He sighed and nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"What was it like after Jack left?" she prompted.

"Well, there was…truthfully a lot of hard work," he related. "Days were long; desert nights could get really cold. We actually spent the majority of them doing this."

Her grin at the statement warmed him, and he fell quite easily back into the role of storyteller. Somewhere along the way, the mood shifted, though he wasn't really sure how he had gotten from the idyllic year he'd spent on Abydos to Jack's return. He'd certainly had no intention of telling Vala anything about Ammaunet or Apophis--or about returning to Abydos to find his wife pregnant with a Harsessis  
child.

She listened patiently, offering gentle questions when he needed them and comfortable silence when he didn't. When his voice grew ragged, she quietly shifted onto her back and drew him with her, cradling his head on her chest. Daniel's arms wound tightly back around her as he told of watching Sha're leave--the pain of having had her back and yet knowing all along that he would lose her once the child was born.

Vala stayed quiet for a long time. When she did speak again, her voice was rough and husky with emotion. "She never got to hold him, did she? The baby?"

"No," Daniel cleared his throat and tried to keep his own voice from shaking. "As soon as the delivery was over, Ammaunet took control."

She nodded, falling silent again. Slowly, his breath began to come more evenly, and he raised his head to look at her. He thought he saw her lashes flutter, and expected her to stiffen or turn away, but she made no attempt to hide the tears.

"You…didn't get to hold Adria, either, did you?" he asked gently.

"I know it's ridiculous," Vala sniffled as she shook her head. "She never really was 'my baby', after all."

"Of course it's not ridiculous," Daniel murmured, cupping her face in his hands. "No matter what she is, Adria is still your child, the--the same way Shifu was still Sha're's."

"Shifu?" Vala asked.

"The Harsessis boy," explained Daniel. "It's…a long story, but he was…more…than what the Goa'uld wanted to make him, Vala."

Vala smiled a little--tremulously, but he could see that it was genuine--and slid back against him. "I…guess you weren't the only one who needed a hug tonight," she admitted.

"It's okay," Daniel assured her, smiling as her head came to rest on his shoulder.

Neither spoke for a while, and Daniel finally began to drift off to sleep. 

"Do you really think I might reach her?" Vala asked, jolting awake suddenly.

"Yes, I do," he told her thickly.

She seemed to accept that, slipping into silence again, and he closed his eyes.

"Daniel?" she asked again, fearfully.

"Mmm?" he mumbled.

"You're not just--saying that?" she persisted.

He dragged himself awake and turned to press his lips against her temple. "I'll never lie to you, Vala. I promise."

"Thank you," she whispered, closing her eyes.


	3. Friends

Post-ep for Memento Mori, by request. 

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Vala paused uncertainly in the doorway of Daniel's office. The room had never been very well kept. It was usually scattered with artifacts from various offworld missions, cluttered with books and dusty old documents, and contained at least a week's worth of old coffee cups. Now, however, the mess seemed to have exploded.

Daniel himself was off in a corner, kneeling in front of a crate. There were several stacks of what she presumed were valuable historical objects around him, and as he removed each new item, he carefully unwrapped, catalogued, and then re-wrapped it before placing it with the others. He continued working for several minutes, oblivious to her presence, until finally she stepped inside and cleared her throat.

He looked up with a start, but quickly turned back to what he was doing. "Hey, um…if this is about dinner, I'm kinda busy," he said distractedly.

"Yes, darling, I noticed." Vala replied. She walked over to the desk and leaned against it, frowning. "What is it you're looking for?"

"A bracelet," he replied pensively, still not looking at her. "SG-8 brought it back from their last offworld mission and now it seems to have vanished."

"Well, don't look at me," Vala's eyes widened.

"Vala--"

"Really, Daniel. I swear. I had nothing to do with it!" she raised her hands innocently.

"Vala, I don't think you took it," he turned toward her, cocking his head slightly as he looked up.

"Really?" her eyes widened in surprise.

"Really," he smiled.

"Oh," she nodded. "Right, of course you don't. So. Shall I help you look?"

Daniel's eyebrows rose. "You…wanna help me re-catalogue all this?"

"Well, not really," she winked. "But friends do that sort of thing for one another, right?"

"Right," he nodded, hiding a chuckle.

Vala pushed off the desk and threaded her way through the stacks to kneel beside him. Peering into the crate, she bit the side of her lip and said thoughtfully. "You know, Daniel…"

"Hmm?" he looked up again.

"Never mind," she shook her head.

"Okay," he shrugged, stifling another laugh as he turned back to his clipboard. From the corner of his eye, he could see her frown, and was rather surprised at how long and companionably they worked before she made another attempt.

"Daniel, about dinner," she cleared her throat.

He sat back on his heels and balled his hand over his lips, barely turning the laughter into a cough. "Dinner?" he asked innocently.

"Yes…Friday? We did have dinner plans, didn't we? You mentioned when I came in…" she trailed off with an awkwardness that didn't quite seem feigned.

"Yeah," he nodded reassuringly. "What about dinner?"

"Well, you see, Daniel, I've decided I'm not sure I really want to have dinner with you," she said slowly.

His mouth popped open. "You--you don't?"

"Mmm-mmm," Vala shook her head. She paused for a few seconds, then broke into a wide grin. "I'd much rather we took a drive to the beach!"

Daniel raised his eyes to the ceiling, then dropped his forehead into his free hand. "Vala, that's--that's not a good idea."

"Come now, darling, of course it is. A nice, long romantic drive…a walk by the ocean--then we can we spend the rest of the evening under the boardwalk--"

Daniel's head snapped up, eyes bulging. His jaw dropped again, then began to work silently as Vala hurriedly amended,

"On! I meant on! Really."

"I _think_ you've been watching too much TV," Daniel replied, kneeling up again to pick up a small statuette from the crate.

"So…that would be a no?" Vala asked ingenuously.

"That would be a no," nodded Daniel firmly.

She sighed heavily and set to work again. Daniel shook his head, holding the silence, but he stole several sideways glances at her and frowned more deeply with each one. He'd expected a show of disappointment, but if it had been false, he knew that Vala would have let it drop within a few minutes. In fact, she probably would have just shifted tactics and kept trying to wheedle him into taking her to the beach.

He let out a sigh of his own. "So, where do you want to go for dinner?" he asked softly.

Vala looked up in surprise, but didn't reply right away. Her brow creased in thought for a moment or two, then her eyes brightened eagerly. She smiled and opened her mouth to say something, then abruptly shut it again. This time, though, he saw resignation and pain, not the playful hope that he would invite her to continue.

"Wherever you like, Daniel," she said heavily, moving her eyes away.

Daniel slowly set the statue down and reached out to lay a tender finger along her jaw. Gently turning her face back to look at him, he asked, "You wanna go to Sol's?"

She nodded once, swallowing back a sudden wave of emotion. Her eyes blurred with tears, but when she tried to look away, Daniel brought both hands to her cheeks.

"Okay," he smiled. 


	4. Victory

"Now--now, remember," Daniel cautioned as the car door clunked shut, "Stick to the cover story. And that's _it_--anything else they ask, you say it's classified."

"Daniel, I know," Vala sighed, her boots clicking rapidly on the pavement as they crossed the parking lot. "You've only reminded me three times already."

"Sorry," he murmured sincerely. "It's just--well, y'know Landry wasn't too keen on this idea."

Vala paused, turning back to face him. The fact was that no one at the SGC, including the rest of their team, had liked the idea of her returning here, even if they were only staying long enough to reassure her friends and grab a quick meal. Daniel had argued that for her to disappear without any explanation would only add fuel to the various conspiracy theories floating around and that he and Vala together could reinforce the official cover story that had been issued to explain the events following her abduction.

She smiled at the memory, genuinely touched that he was willing, once again, to be her advocate. He'd shrugged off her thanks--blushing slightly, which in itself was gratifying--but Vala still wished that he'd let her do something for him in return.

"I know what to do," she promised, turning again to open the door. "Now, come on, I want you to meet everyone."

The diner was still buzzing with the noise of its lunch crowd when they walked in. Daniel had insisted that the drive would have been too long to accommodate a dinner date--_non-date,_ she corrected herself with a slight smirk--so he'd agreed to go with her on Saturday instead. Having his undivided attention during weekend downtime was a rarity for her, and she wasn't sure which pleased her more--a Saturday with Daniel or the chance to see Sal and the rest of her friends again.

The murmur of voices quieted at the sight of her, and she felt suddenly self conscious. Daniel's hand slid reassuringly onto her arm, but a moment later a familiar voice called from the kitchen, "Hey, Val! You're back!"

Her sudden nervousness dissipated as Sal's smiling face appeared, and she squeezed her way through the crowded restaurant as he came out to her. She quickly found herself enveloped by a crowd of customers, and Sal's meaty arms wound around her, threatening to crush her ribs as he plucked her off the ground.

It was several minutes before she could work her way back to Daniel, who was still standing where she'd left him, a satisfied little smile on his lips. Reaching eagerly for his hand, she pulled him back to Sal, who was beaming almost as brightly as she was.

"So, is this your husband or something, Val?" he asked when introductions were complete.

"Well," Vala grinned widely, tilting her head toward Daniel. "Maybe someday!"

"Or not…" Daniel forced a grin of his own, and tilted his head toward hers so that the two almost touched. Finally remembering to unlace their fingers, he cleared his throat and told Sal, "She's…still a little confused."

"I am not, darling," Vala shook her head firmly. "I _clearly_ remember that we very recently had our first date!"

"It wasn't a date," he replied automatically.

"Now, Daniel, don't be so shy," urged Vala with a wink at Sal. "It was a very romantic restaurant, we were both quite dressed up…there was even candlelight involved!"

"Sounds like a date to me," grinned Sal, clapping Daniel jovially on the arm. "You kids order whatever you like--it's on the house."

"Oh!" Vala exclaimed in surprise, leaning over to kiss his cheek before he headed back to the kitchen. "Thanks!"

"Sure, Val, anytime," he nodded. 

"It wasn't a date," Daniel muttered as he led her over to a table.

"Yes it was," she replied, waiting expectantly for him to pull out the chair.

He automatically walked around to do so, replying as he did so, "No, it wasn't."

"Even Sal says it was a date!" Vala retorted, sitting down.

"Friends and co-workers out to dinner," reiterated Daniel, striding back to the other side of the table.

Vala smiled knowingly and picked up her menu. Daniel slid into his chair, waiting with tense shoulders for her to continue the argument. She calmly perused the lunch options as if she hadn't spent weeks serving them to others, and he frowned, finally clearing his throat.

"Something wrong, darling?" she asked innocently, putting it aside.

"Aren't you--aren't you gonna…you know," he asked with an agitated wave. 

"What?" frowned Vala.

"Aren't you gonna keep insisting it was a date?" he asked.

She grinned in response and returned her attention to the menu. Daniel narrowed his eyes and glared for several seconds, then finally picked up his own. He looked down the list for a while, contemplating, and then said without looking up.

"Stop grinning."

"I'm not grinning," Vala replied.

"You're _grinning,"_ he said firmly.

"You're not even looking at me," she pointed out.

"I don't have to be looking at you," he said as he made up his mind and laid the menu back on the table. Vala set hers down as well, quickly wiping the smile off her face, but he caught a hint of it and jabbed a finger at her victoriously. "Ah-ha! See? See? You're grinning!" he shouted.  



	5. Surrender

Vala shifted her eyes slightly to the side, and Daniel turned to see the waitress poised with pencil in hand. Her eyes were wide with shock, and he realized with an inward groan that she had seen his whole performance. He quickly pulled back his hand, which was still pointed at Vala, and planted it on his chin, then smiled up at her as casually as he could.

"Are you folks ready?" she asked, her gaze flicking questioningly to Vala.

"Yes," she nodded. "He'll have the Monte Cristo sandwich; coffee, black, two sugars--oh, and pie for dessert. I think I'll have the grilled chicken. Is that new?"

"Yeah, Sal just added it a few days ago," the waitress replied. "Coming right up. You want the pie, too, Val?"

"Mmm, I think so," Vala nodded. "Thanks, Pat."

"Will do," she smiled, starting to turn away. "Good to see you, Val…"

"Uh…?" Daniel interrupted, raising a finger.

"Oh, did I forget something?" Vala asked, frowning.

"No…that's…exactly what I wanted," Daniel replied slowly.

"Of course it is," she nodded dismissively.

"Just friends, huh?" remarked the waitress.

The two women shared a wink, and Daniel let his arms fall to the table, dropping his forehead onto them in defeat. Vala smirked but carefully hid the expression when he finally looked up again. Setting his chin back in his hand, he studied her silently for a while, but shifted his eyes carefully away before the scrutiny became rude. Turning his attention to the napkin beside him, he picked it up and nervously began to shred bits off the side.

"You know, I--can sort of see why you wanted to come back here," he mused quietly. 

"They're wonderful people," she agreed. "I don't--think I've ever really had friends who didn't… want something from me."

"Sure you have," Daniel smiled, but her eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?"

"Vala, I don't care who Adria is to you…or why you're here. I'm just glad you are," he said earnestly.

She smiled warmly, feeling her cheeks redden. "Thank you, Daniel," she murmured, ducking her head.

"I mean it," he nodded quietly. "Anyway, I'm happy you found this place--people who cared about you. I…"

She leaned closer silently, inviting him to continue with another smile. The flush returned to her cheeks, and she hoped that she wasn't _really_ as red as she felt. He glanced down at the napkin, then back up at her, and wet his lips. "Well, I--really missed you. We--we were all worried."

Vala drew a breath to speak, but found her throat suddenly tight. Her vision blurred with tears again, and she dropped her eyes, giving her head a bewildered shake. "I don't know what's the matter with me lately…"

Daniel's had moved across the table, and she felt his familiar, strong fingers close reassuringly on hers. She looked up slowly and he shifted in his seat, leaning closer. Vala swallowed, trying to reign in the waves of heat and cold that pulsed along her nerves. She moved instinctively toward his mouth, but as she felt his breath, the door opened behind them.

"Hey, Val, how ya doin?" called Detective Ryan cheerfully.

The moment broken, both Daniel and Vala fell back against their chairs. She turned to greet her friend and he busied himself with the napkin again. The detective hurried over, and she adeptly assured him that everything had turned out well despite his unwitting part in the second kidnapping attempt. He recognized Daniel as having been with the "real" Lieutenant Colonel Carter when the team had arrived to bring her back to the SGC, so the introductions went smoothly, and Vala had little trouble convincing him that what, in her opinion, was a rather flimsy cover story was, in fact, the truth.

After a few minutes of chatting and a hug, the waitress arrived with their lunch, and Ryan went off to the counter to order his. Daniel was watching her with an appreciative smile, and Vala couldn't help but blush again. She tried to conceal it, turning her attention to the food in front of her, but he wasn't fooled.

"You did great," he told her.

"Hmm?" she looked up absently.

"With Ryan," he said with a look that said he was well aware that she had understood his meaning.

"Oh," she replied smoothly. "Yes, I did, didn't I?"

Daniel shook his head fondly and started to eat. Lunch passed surprisingly quickly and without any remarkable bickering. Since neither particularly wanted to go after dessert, they lingered over coffee at the counter. Vala chatted with Sal and a few of the regulars who hung around after the lunch rush had ended. Daniel said surprisingly little, despite her attempts to draw him out. Finally, as they prepared to go, she grinned and dismissed his reticence to Sal by saying he must be feeling shy again.

"That's okay, Val, you'll help him over that, won't ya?" Sal winked as he slid two more Styrofoam-lidded coffee cups across the counter to them.

"Oh, you just bet I will," Vala nodded, picking hers up. She took a long breath and sighed, picking up her purse as well and slinging it over her shoulder. Then she leaned over the counter to kiss his cheek again.

"You take care of her now," Sal instructed with a meaningful look at Daniel.

"Right," he sighed, offering the other man his hand before he turned to guide Vala outside.

Tears sprang up again as they walked out into the late afternoon sun, making her field of vision sparkle. Daniel's hand had drifted lightly to her back, and she drew comfort from the touch, letting him lead her back to the car. Once there, he took both coffees and set them on the roof, leaning quietly on his arms against it. Vala mimicked his position, resting her chin on her hands.

"Do you remember what you told me about Abydos being the first place you really felt as if you fit in?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," Daniel nodded.

She smiled a little and let the statement fall unspoken, taking a shaky breath. "Time to go home?" she asked.

"I have a better idea," replied Daniel as he picked up his coffee cup. "Let's go for a walk by the ocean."  



	6. Jealous

"Y'know, I always wanted to do this with Sha're," Daniel related, a bit surprised at how easily the words came off his lips. It had been over a month since he'd first told Vala about his wife, and the revelation seemed to have cemented a new bond between them. Still, he found himself more than a bit confused by how quickly this odd friendship seemed to be growing.

"Did you?" Vala asked, turning away from the window. She planted her elbow against it, propping her head on her hand as she looked at him.

"The concept of _the ocean_ fascinated her," he nodded wistfully. "She couldn't conceive of that much water in one place."

"I…don't suppose she could," replied Vala, looking away again as she felt a sudden, irrational surge of jealousy. She'd felt it the first time he'd spoken his dead wife's name on the Ori warship; felt it again, albeit briefly, when she'd asked him more about her back on Earth.

_You're the one who asked him,_ she reminded herself, angrily shoving the emotion aside. _You invited him to tell you._

Daniel frowned, turning briefly to glance at her, but quickly returned his eyes to the road. "You okay?" he asked.

Vala bit her lip and nodded, then almost immediately shook her head. "Daniel, I have a confession to make," she said reluctantly.

He felt his stomach tighten at the guilty tone of her voice and sighed quietly. "What now?"

Vala said nothing for a moment, her eyes going wide with hurt at the question. She supposed it didn't particularly surprise her--what she didn't expect, though, was how deeply it stung. Feeling her cheeks redden, she turned away and stared down at her lap. If he'd sounded angry, she might have been able to muster some flippant reply. After a response like that, there was nothing she would rather have done but turn the whole thing into a joke. He hadn't been angry though; he hadn't even really sounded annoyed. He expected her to admit she'd taken the bracelet, and he was clearly hurt and disappointed.

Swallowing, she drew a reluctant breath, and told him softly, "When you…first told me about Sha're, I felt--well, I felt a little jealous."

Startled, Daniel twisted to face her again. "What?" he asked, rather nervously looking back out at the line of tail lights in front of them. There was an exit sign ahead and he flicked the turn signal automatically.

"Jealous," Vala repeated, shaking her head in self-recrimination. "That you cared so much for her--that she had you in a way that I…can't even seem to interest you in…"

She didn't look up even after he'd pulled into the rest area, and Daniel closed his eyes. He sucked in a long breath, his stomach twisting at the sight of her bowed head. Her hair was tied back in pigtails, and he could clearly see the blush on her cheeks.

"Vala, I'm--I'm sorry," he began apologetically, but she abruptly raised her head. 

"I really didn't think I was that petty, Daniel," she said, her tone brittle enough to make him wince. "To be envious of a man's feelings for his wife."

"I don't think it's petty," he said gently.

She tossed her head in annoyance, more at herself than him. She opened her mouth to deliver some caustic retort, but before she'd managed to think of something appropriate, Daniel looked down, his lips moving in a soft, self-deprecating smile.

"Y'know, I…felt a little jealous today, too," he admitted.

"You what?" Vala stopped short, feeling her breath catch.

"When you were with your friends," he explained, slowly looking up again. "They--they were all so--I dunno, so--happy to see you, glad you were okay. It's like you had this whole life that I wasn't a part of…and--and I know that's ridiculous. I mean, you obviously had a life I wasn't a part of…before…"

"It's not ridiculous," she smiled tentatively, her hand slipping onto his cheek.

"No?" he asked, leaning slowly toward her mouth.

Vala turned her head, her free hand flattening against his chest in a halting gesture. "Daniel," she chided, hiding a smile of satisfaction at the hammering of his heart under her palm. "Even I know that a girl shouldn't kiss on the first date. It is still the first date, you know. The last one didn't count since we were interrupted."

"What?" his eyes widened. "You--you didn't seem to have a problem kissing me on the Prometheus!"

She pushed him back, her jaw dropping in a shocked expression. _"That's_ your idea of a date?" she demanded. "Really, Daniel, I am surprised at you!"

Daniel raised his eyes to the interior roof of the car and shook his head, starting back onto the road again. Vala grinned impishly and turned away as well. She laced her hands victoriously behind her head and pointedly said nothing to remind him that he hadn't objected to the use of the word date.


	7. The Chase

"It feels good!" Vala insisted, holding out her hand to him. 

She stood at the water's edge, barefoot, with her pant legs rolled up to her knees. She had been gleefully romping in the surf for almost twenty minutes already, chasing the waves as they receded and then racing back to the safety of the sand when they rolled in. Daniel stood watching on the _dry_ sand further up the beach, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Now she wanted him to wiggle his toes in the wet muck with her, and he sighed. Glancing down at his shoes, he looked back up at her and shook his head. "I still have my shoes on!" he called.

"So, take them off, darling!" she laughed. "What are you so afraid of?"

Sighing again, Daniel trudged down to meet her, but still didn't take off his shoes. "I don't want to get my feet all full of sand," he frowned. "It itches."

"You've got a whole _ocean_ to wash them in!" Vala exclaimed, lifting her eyes to the sky.

"Yeah, but it's cold," he protested, his lower lip jutting out a bit in thought. 

Vala caught both his hands in hers and matched his pout with a pleading one of her own. "Daniel, please! For me?"

Finally, he shook his head in disbelief and freed his hands, lifting up his foot to unlace his shoe and pull it off. As he carefully stowed the sock inside it, he began to wonder what he was doing--standing on a beach with Vala, letting her talk him in to squishing sand between his toes. That didn't stop him from pulling off the other shoe, though, and she bounced with eager delight at the sight of him standing in the wet sand.

He closed an eye, scrunching his face distastefully at the sensation, but Vala wasn't satisfied. "Now, wiggle them," she commanded.

"Aw, Vala, c'mon, this is…"

"Just a little wiggle, Daniel. No one will ever know," she winked.

Knowing there was no way out, he closed his eyes again and scrunched up his toes. The damp grit squoozed its way between them, and he wrinkled his forehead, struggling not to laugh at the vaguely ticklish feel of it. Vala stared down at his feet with an evaluating expression and looked up in surprise when he suddenly stopped.

"You call that a wiggle!" she cried, planting her fists on her hips.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," he nodded, moving his own hands to mirror her stance.

Vala rolled her eyes, tossing her pigtails in mock-annoyance. As she did, she caught sight of the retreating waves and let out a squeal of alarm. Quickly grabbing his hand, she dashed off after the escaping sea, dragging him behind her.

"What--whatsamatter? What's goin' on?" Daniel sputtered as they ran.

"We have to catch it, Daniel!" she exclaimed.

Despite himself, he laughed and let her pull him along. A few moments later, the water whooshed back toward them, and Vala shrieked, wheeling about to jerk him back toward the shore. Now he laughed aloud, finally unable to resist her antics. They barely made it far enough up the beach to escape the icy ocean, and Vala gave a gusty sigh, falling against his chest in playful relief.

This time, though, the water didn't stay safely beyond reach, and Vala shrieked again as the cold froth rose around their ankles as the tide came in. "Oh, it's cold, it's cold!" she squealed, hopping from one foot to another.

"What are you afraid of?" Daniel taunted, springing away just in time to avoid a swat. She ran after him, determined to wipe the smug grin from his face, and took a flying leap toward his back.

"Hey!" he cried, stumbling forward as her weight crashed into him. Her arms coiled tightly around his neck, and he made an awkward grab for her knees, attempting to hook her legs and keep himself from falling. Already off balance, he crashed face first to the ground, struggling not to laugh as Vala rolled off him.

"Oops," she said apologetically.

Daniel rolled onto his side, sputtering on a mouthful of sand. Her hand moved instinctively to brush the grit from his eyes, and his breath caught at the casual intimacy of the touch. He smiled, his own hand drifting up to touch her fingers as they came to rest on his cheek. Neither spoke as he drew her hand slowly, gently down, and held it between them. Vala's throat worked convulsively as he studied the shape of her fingers. He felt her fight a shiver as his index finger lightly traced the odd bump he found on her pinky. Guiding the hand toward his lips, he wondered why he'd never noticed it before--and suddenly froze, flopping heavily onto his back.

"Oh, no!" he moaned, burying his face in his hands.

Vala bolted upright. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking around in confusion.

"My _shoes!"_ came the muffled reply.


	8. The Long Way

Vala gave a snort of laughter and threw her arm around him. Daniel froze briefly, but as she pressed her face against his shoulder and dissolved into giggles, he slowly slid his own arms around her. He felt a smile tug at his lips and tried to resist, but laughter bubbled up from his chest until he found himself shaking with badly suppressed mirth. Her giggling continued, if anything growing louder at his obvious effort not to laugh along. Finally, he couldn't help but let the sound escape, and his arms tightened unconsciously as they both shook and gasped for breath.

It was several minutes before either could breathe again, let alone speak. Slowly, Vala got herself under control enough to look up at him. Daniel held her gaze, his hand moving up to rest against her cheek. His stomach tightened again, but this time the sensation was deeper, and accompanied with a pleasant tingle rather than the sickening lurch he'd felt in the car earlier.

"I'm so s-sorr…" she attempted, ducking her head as he felt her begin to quake again.

"It's okay," he promised laughingly. His arms wrapped around her again, and he buried his face in the softness of her hair, but couldn't stifle the second fit of hysterics any more than she could. It occurred to him that not very long ago, he would have found _anything_ but humor in a situation like this, but it only made him tighten his arms further in a sudden burst of affection.

"Ow," she complained, looking up. "Ow--Daniel, darling, as much as I enjoy having your…incredibly _strong_…arms around me like this--you're going to crush my ribs."

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized, hurriedly breaking the embrace.

"Mmm," Vala pouted, settling her head on his shoulder. "You didn't have to let go, you know. Just loosen up a little."

He sighed quietly and slid his arms back around her. The sun had begun to set by then, becoming a bright red ball near the rippling surface of the water, and she turned to watch it. Daniel followed her gaze, his fingers stealing up to stroke the back of her hair. For a moment or two, he simply watched the sunset, conscious only of the red-gold patterns of light spilling across the ocean, Vala's breathing, the rise and fall of her chest against him. Gradually, though, he became conscious of what he was doing--who he was doing it _with_--and had to ask himself what exactly was going on.

He'd insisted--repeatedly--that it wasn't a date. The truth was that he'd had nothing but the strictest of platonic intentions in bringing Vala out today. She'd been through a nightmarish experience, and he'd wanted only to give her the chance to reconnect with the people who had helped her through it. Yet three times already today, he'd been tempted to kiss her--more than tempted. He _would_ have kissed her if circumstances, or oddly enough, Vala herself, hadn't intervened.

He knew they were both lonely. Talking with her about Sha're had made him, if not more lonesome, at least more aware of those feelings than he had been in years. Vala lived in a perpetual and chronic state of isolation, though he doubted that she was able to recognize it at all. It was only natural, he supposed, that they gravitated toward one another despite the bizarre history they shared--or maybe because of it. It would've been perfectly understandable for her to want to assuage her need for comfort with sex. Yet _she_ hadn't. There was always her teasing--that, he'd come to realize, was simply part of who she was--but it wasn't the same as it had been when she first came to Earth, or even when they'd met aboard _Prometheus._ She hadn't propositioned him. All she'd offered him in recent months was comfort, protection--first from Tomin and then from Adria--and honest friendship. All she'd asked for--if it could even be called asking--was a _date._ Granted, she knew that dates could and did sometimes end in someone's bedroom, but he didn't think she'd really expected it to, at least this time.

He'd told himself that he simply wasn't interested. Obviously, he must be--one aborted kiss might have been plausibly defined as the product of pure physical attraction. A second, he supposed could have been labeled as loneliness. A third, however, went beyond the realm of either of those explanations.

Her fingers brushed his face, drawing him out of his thoughts. "It's beautiful, Daniel, look at it," she murmured, gazing back out at the gold, pink, and purple sky, with its backlit clouds and colors that seemed to melt downward and out across the ocean in shimmering ripples.

"It is," he nodded, smiling as she settled her head back on his shoulder. They watched in silence until the sun had all but vanished. Daniel felt her shiver against him when the sea breeze picked up, and reflexively held her closer. "Cold?" he asked softly.

"I just want to stay here a bit longer," Vala murmured languidly.

"Me too," he admitted, letting his hands slide slowly over her bare arms to warm them where he felt gooseflesh starting to prickle up. "But we'll have to go soon. It's gonna get chilly."

"Okay," she agreed, letting her eyes slip closed.

Daniel watched her for a while, resisting the urge to trace the contented curve of her lips with his finger. "Vala?" he whispered, wetting his lips nervously.

"Mmm?" she asked thickly.

He gently tilted his head toward her mouth, breath coming short as he neared her lips, but forced himself to halt. "Vala, I--I think I…" he paused, frowning as he saw the smile slip from her lips. His heart thudded faster, and he wondered suddenly if he'd misread her after all. Then he heard the soft but unmistakable sound of a snore.

-------

"Daniel?" she jolted awake, pulling out of his arms in confusion.

"It's okay," reassured Daniel automatically. "You fell asleep."

"I did?" she asked, looking around the dark beach bewilderedly. She yawned, scrubbing a hand over her face in an effort to wake up. "What time is it?"

He pushed himself prone and twisted his wrist to look at the glowing digital read-out on his watch. "About four," he replied. "We--we should go. The beach has been closed for hours."

Nodding, Vala got to her feet and took a moment to twist and stretch. Then she groaned, running a hand worriedly through her hair. "I'm never going to find my boots in the dark, either!" she sighed.

"Here," Daniel said, reaching to pick something up from the sand. He handed them up to her, smiling slightly. "I…went and got them before it got too dark."

"Why didn't you just wake me up!" she exclaimed, taken aback.

He shrugged, standing himself. "I dunno. I just…didn't--didn't realize you'd sleep that long, I guess," he replied, brushing the worst of the sand off.

Yawning again, she hugged herself and donned the boots as quickly as possible, complaining, "Oh, it's freezing! How can it have gotten so cold?"

"It's the ocean," Daniel replied, wrapping his arm around her as they started for the car. "The wind's always colder by the water."

"Well then," she said, ducking her head onto his chest and sliding and arm around him, "It's a good thing you're here to keep me warm."

"I guess so," Daniel shook his head in amusement, slipping his other arm around her as well.

Vala's head popped up in surprise.

"What's wrong?" he frowned down at her.

"Aren't you going to…y'know…" she asked.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Pull away and act all huffy and difficult?" she inquired in a teasing tone.

"No," he shrugged nonchalantly.

Vala laughed quietly, returning her head to its resting spot on his chest. "Good," she nodded.

Both still half asleep, they didn't say much else until they reached the car. Once there, Daniel walked around to unlock the door for her, then held it while she slid inside. Pushing it shut, he rubbed his eyes tiredly and opened the back door, leaning inside to pull a pair of old blue flip-flop sandals off the floor.

As tired as she was, Vala's eyes still opened wider at the sight of them. "Why ever do you have _those?_" she asked, hiding a laugh behind her hand.

He smiled ruefully. "If there's one thing I've learned on SG-1, it's the importance of being prepared."

"I don't recall foam-soled sandals with plastic straps being included in our standard offworld gear," she smirked.

"Maybe they should be from now on," Daniel replied, swinging the door closed and making his way back around to the driver's side. He sat down on the edge of the seat to brush off his feet and slide the sandals on. Then he swung his legs in and leaned back without closing the door. Rubbing his eyes again, he sat with his hand over his face for several seconds, then finally reached back out to pull the door closed.

Vala shifted sideways to face him and pulled her knees up onto her seat. "Did you get any sleep?" she asked softly. "Are you sure you're all right to drive?"

"Couple hours," he forced his eyes open again. "I'm okay…need coffee though."

"If you're sure," she said, searching his face.

He nodded once and sat up again, picking up his eyeglass case from the dashboard. As soon as he had them on, though, he slid back against the seat and shut his eyes. "I don't know why I'm so tired…I stayed up for _days_ when you disappeared."

"Well," Vala smiled. "Maybe _that's_ why you're so tired."

"Maybe," he allowed, one corner of his mouth turning up. 

She reached out playfully to run a finger down his cheek, but as she did, the half-smile faded. "Daniel?" she frowned.

He didn't reply, and her frown deepened as she leaned closer. His head slowly dropped forward, the glasses sliding down his nose to dangle in front of his face. Vala grinned delightedly, tilting her head to the side.

"Awww!" she exclaimed, brushing her fingers lightly through his unkempt hair.

As gently as she could, she drew his shoulders back and removed the glasses, then carefully stowed them in the dilapidated case. She laid it on the dash and sat back herself, returning her legs to the floor before she closed her eyes. She drowsed for a while, not quite sleeping, until Daniel slumped sideways. She blinked, turning sleepily to look at him, and then curved an arm around him, guiding his head onto her chest.

She told herself that it was only because she didn't want him to wake with a stiff neck. Before he was even settled, though, his arm moved unconsciously around her. Vala stiffened in surprise, but forced herself to relax, wondering why her heart was thudding so fast as he shifted and snuggled deeper against her. Finally, she dipped her head to kiss his hair and rested her cheek against it, letting her eyes close again.

-------

He woke alone, his head resting awkwardly against the window, and jerked upright. Twisting his head from side to side in alarm, he called, "Vala?"

"Here," her voice came faintly from outside. He jumped as her fingers tapped the window beside him, and she ducked to peer in. He started to roll it down, but she bounded away, hurrying around to open the passenger side door.

"Thought you disappeared on me again," he confessed as she slid inside.

"Sorry, darling," she said, pulling down the sun shield to peer at herself in the mirror. "I wanted to wait until you'd woken up, but…nature calls when she will. Oh, I look awful! I don't suppose you have a brush."

"Where'd you learn that expression?" he asked, arching his back in an attempt to stretch his cramped muscles. "There's a comb in the glove compartment."

"Teal'c," she replied, shrugging. After a few minutes of rummaging through the glove box, she extracted the comb he mentioned, but by then her attention had wandered to the various other contents she'd come across.

"Do you mind?" he glared, reaching out to snap it closed again. 

She pouted in response, but busied herself with rearranging her pigtails before he could complain. "You know, Daniel, I've seen some quite impressive technological innovations on this planet. Television…internet shopping…Porta-Potties are not one of them."

Daniel laughingly agreed and reached for his glasses again, then started the car. He glanced absently at the clock as he turned the key in the ignition, and his eyes bulged. "Ten o'clock!" he exclaimed, running a hand over his face.

"You just looked so cute," she winked. "I didn't want to wake you.

"I've--I've gotta call the base. Check in," he said, fumbling for his phone. "We've been gone almost twenty-four hours, and I haven't called."

"Oh," she said, her voice suddenly hollow. 

She turned toward the window, and he frowned, but by then the duty officer had picked up the phone at the base. He tried to maintain a casual air while explaining that they'd fallen asleep, but he could hear the snickering voices of their teammates in the background and knew that they'd both be in for razzing later. Sighing, he hung up the phone and looked at Vala again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, letting the engine idle.

"I'd almost forgotten," she said dully. "All this checking in, asking permission to even step outside Cheynne Mountain. I'm used to coming and going as I please, Daniel."

"I know you are," he nodded, taking a long breath in consideration. Finally, he added, "Why don't we talk to Landry about it when we get back?"

"Really?" she turned to look at him in surprise.

"Well, you're a full-fledged member of the team now, remember?" he smiled, then twisted in his seat to look out the rear window.

Both their stomachs rumbled as he backed out of the parking space. Finished with the comb, Vala boosted herself off the seat to slide it into her back pocket and asked casually, "So, what's for breakfast?"

Daniel rolled his eyes, but decided not to bother protesting the theft. He bit his lip for a moment, then gave her a conspiratorial look. "You wanna go back to Sol's?"

"Like this?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"What?" he asked, confused. "I thought you'd--you'd be thrilled!"

"We look as if we've slept on the beach!" she declared.

"Vala, we _did_ sleep on the beach," he reminded her, laughing.

"That's entirely beside the point," she replied.

"Okay," he sighed bewilderedly.

Half an hour later, though, she turned hopeful eyes on him, and he smiled knowingly. Without having to ask, he flicked the turn signal and guided the car back off the highway. Sal greeted them with the same joviality of the previous day, though a good deal more teasing. He dubbed the entire weekend "the date that wouldn't end". Vala, of course, readily agreed, which brought a light blush to Daniel's cheeks, but remembering the direction his thoughts had begun to take while watching the sunset the night before, he wasn't sure whether or not to raise an objection.

In the end, he simply said nothing. Though he was sure she'd seen it, Vala did nothing to draw attention to the redness of his face, which confused him. He thought he'd gotten fairly good at reading her, anticipating her moods and the rather unruly way her mind worked. While he definitely couldn't describe it as "logic" of any kind, there was a certain pattern to her reactions and behavior. Yet every time he really started to think that she could no longer surprise him, he found himself utterly lost again. After all she'd said and done yesterday, having him so obviously off balance would have been the perfect opportunity to "prove" his supposed shyness over the relationship she insisted they had. Why she didn't take it was beyond him, but even if he didn't understand it, he couldn't resist the urge to slip a grateful arm around her when they'd left the place without a single reference to how adorable he looked when he blushed.

He realized a moment too late how easy it would be for her to misinterpret the gesture. Then he remembered that he wasn't entirely sure he minded anymore. He found himself blushing _again _and ducked his head, waiting for the inevitable teasing, but all she did was thread her arm around his back and continue toward the car in silence. He held the door for her again and felt a strange sense of loss when the contact broke. Fighting the urge to linger, he gently closed the door and shoved his hands into his pockets, trudging around to his own side.

Other than the nagging emptiness in the pit of his stomach at the realization that the trip was soon to be over, Daniel found the first part of the drive home almost as enjoyable as the weekend itself. Vala sang gustily along with the radio, and he found her knowledge of current hits in various music genres so incredible that she actually managed to induce him to sing along.

The car was getting low on gas, so he pulled into a rest area to fill up. Vala dragged him into a 7-Eleven for snacks and drinks, and he had the pleasure of introducing her to the wonders of Slurpies and the phenomenon of "brain freeze". She couldn't decide what flavor she wanted, and ended up with what, to him, looked like a repulsive mixture of every one available. She of course, declared that she adored it, which somehow made his annoyance at having to stand there for twenty minutes while she tried to choose melt away.

On the way out, she spotted a family having an impromptu picnic, and her eyes went wide with excitement. "That looks like _fun!_" she grinned.

Daniel tucked his chin to his chest, sighed heavily and made a show of looking at his watch. She grabbed his hand in her free one, pouting up at him. He carefully didn't react, though he felt a slight and only half acknowledged tug of relief at a reason to prolong the outing. She turned puppy eyes on him, and he shook his head.

"Don't--don't--don't start that…" he told her.

Her only response was a bright smile, and he let his head drop. "Okay," he assented. "C'mon, we--we're gonna have to go shopping, then."

"Ooh, I love shopping," she replied, pulling him toward the car.

"I know," he said worriedly.

-------

"Wal-Mart?" she asked with an intrigued frown.

"You'll love it," promised Daniel, slipping his keys into his pocket and stepping out into the parking lot of the busy Supercenter. Vala skipped along beside him, pigtails bouncing, and he smiled, feeling slightly overwhelmed by her seemingly inexhaustible amount of energy, but he was undeniably enjoying it.

She bounced impatiently while he picked a cart, and he could barely keep her from running off as soon they entered the store. When she spotted the wire bin full of flip-flips and let out a squeal, he knew he was doomed. Hooking her arm through his, she dragged him over and dived in, pulling out a pair of the most gaudy pink sandals he'd ever seen, complete with sparkles on the plastic straps.

"Look!" she commanded, clapping them together with a huge grin. "They match my barrettes!"

"Okay," Daniel sighed, gesturing toward the cart, but she had already tossed them in and gone running toward a display of blouses. "Vala!" he shouted after her. _"Food,_ Vala, remember? We're going on a picnic!"

She paid no heed and he sighed again, following her through the store. Two blouses, matching skirts and shoes, a new comforter, a Dixie Chicks CD--recommended by Mitchell--and a copy of _The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants _later they finally made it to the grocery section.

"All right," she asked, looking at him uncertainly. "What are we getting?"

"Whatever you want," he replied. "As long as we don't have to cook it. We'll have to make sandwiches or something."

"Got it," she nodded, easily taking charge again. "Don't worry about a thing, darling. I'm an expert at creating romantic meals on short notice…"

"Why am I suddenly afraid I shouldn't have said _whatever you want?"_ Daniel murmured.

"Very funny," Vala narrowed her eyes, then bit a fingernail thoughtfully and began to peruse the aisles.

What they ended up with was thick French bread and cuts of Italian ham, with Provolone cheese, which she let him pick because he said he liked it, despite the woman at the deli counter's recommendation of Swiss. Then she picked a platter of cut vegetables and dip, about which he made the mistake of commenting that he thought she'd opt for something sweet. This led to a hunt for fresh strawberries and chocolate dipping sauce, then a trip to housewares for durable plastic containers for the leftovers and a decent knife to cut the bread.

There, they met a cheerful middle-aged lady who kindly informed Vala that there was a selection of picnic baskets on clearance at the other end of the store. Once she knew what those were, she decided that having their picnic out of plastic bags would _never do_, and having the perfect picnic basket meant that they needed special, festive paper plates and napkins rather than the ordinary ones Daniel had already tossed in the cart.

After that, they needed a cooler for leftovers at Vala's insistence, and a blanket like the one she had seen the people at the rest area using. He protested that he'd just bought her a huge comforter, and she sighed in annoyance, telling him she couldn't _possibly_ allow _that_ to get all full of grass stains, and if _he _wanted to have a picnic, he'd just have to be willing to pay to have it right. While in the process of finding a blanket that was both cheap enough to suit Daniel and adequately comfortable for Vala, she caught sight of a fluffy white teddy bear with a heart on it's belly that she simply _had _to have.

Daniel gave in with a relatively short protest, but exacted his revenge by dragging her back through the store without telling her why. Despite having spent well over an hour there, she was still unfamiliar enough with the general layout of the huge store to have no idea where they were going until he stopped in front of the snack aisle. Even then, she shot him a puzzled frown. He suppressed a grin, saying only:

"Stay with the cart, okay? I forgot something," before disappearing up the aisle.

The Oreos were about half way to the other end, and he stood contemplating whether to get original or Double-Stuff when a noise caught his attention from the direction in which he'd left Vala. His head jerked back that way just in time to see her go skating by attached to the back of the shopping cart.

"I should've known!" he groaned, slapping a hand over his face.

Snatching the cookies, Daniel sprinted to the end of the aisle and reached it just as she vanished around the corner "Vala!" he shouted, slapping his free arm against his side in frustration.

She didn't answer, but he could stilll hear the rattling of the cart nearby, and within a few moments, she appeared again, having circled around to head toward him from the other direction. Her right hand came off the cart in a frenzied wave, and he made a grab for her as she whizzed by.

He narrowly missed, and stumbled forward, almost landing on his face for the second time that weekend. Managing to recover, he pushed both hands through his hair and grit his teeth. Growling in annoyance, he folded his arms and waited for her to come by a second time.

"Get off of there!" he demanded when she did. "I'm--I'm not gonna chase you if that's what you…want…" he finished, but she was already gone again.

The third time she came around, she reached toward him, leaning off the cart to peck his cheek as she passed. The carriage kept going, though, and the heel of her boot skidded out from under her. Daniel dove forward, instinctively snatching her off the runaway vehicle. She grabbed for his neck, letting out a little shriek.

"It's okay, I've got you," he promised, all his anger dissipating in the sudden surge of fear and the humid warmth of her rapid, frightened breath on his face. Her chest heaved, and he could feel her ribcage expanding and contracting almost convulsively against his arms as he held her. He thought the only thing that might've been beating faster than her heart was his own, especially when her head dipped toward his lips.

He knew that he should still have been angry--furious. He wanted to be. Then their foreheads touched, and her hand slid up the back of his neck. He could almost taste her; his head swam with a riot of conflicting thought and emotion; his legs felt weak, and he prayed he wouldn't drop her…then the shopping cart crashed into a display of Fig Newtons and they both jerked back as a trio of store workers came running.

-------

"Are you angry?" she asked as he dragged her back through the parking lot.

"Yes!" he barked in response.

"Ohh," she whimpered. "I thought you would be. Daniel, we've had so much fun this weekend; I don't want you to be all upset with me."

"Well--well, you should've thought of that before you went riding around the store like a kid on the back of that carriage!"

"I'm sorry," she pleaded, almost disarming him. He'd expected her to argue back, try to shift the blame onto him for having been so secretive about the Oreos. He clenched his teeth, determined to stay mad, but saw real shame on her face and finally melted.

Wal-Mart security had threatened to permanently ban them _both _from the store, and Vala's subsequent flirting with the security team came very close to having them banned from the entire franchise. Daniel doubted whether something like that could or would be enforced, but he certainly didn't want to find out--especially when _he_ was the one who would have to explain it to General Landry. In the end, they'd had to pay for the damaged cart, the ruined display, and _all_ the Fig Newtons--which, although he privately found excessive, he was willing to do if it would keep them from being more seriously censured.

After that, they'd had to spend another hour traipsing back through the store to find replacements for everything that had been ruined when the chocolate sauce exploded and the strawberries were squashed. That, of course, meant that he had to pay for everything twice, since the store wasn't willing to take back any of the damaged products. When he realized what this was going to do to his credit card bill the following month, Daniel had vowed to remain angry with her for_at least_ the rest of the day. Seeing her not only sorry but ashamed of herself, though, was too much.

"Okay," he sighed, shaking his head as he pulled the car door open for her.

Her arms slid around his neck, and he resolutely kept himself stiff. Then he felt the softness of her cheek against his, and his stomach went all tingly again. Before he knew what he was doing, his arms had moved around her in response.

"Forgive me?" she asked.

"Yes, Vala," he raised his eyes to the sky. "I forgive you."

"And we can still have our picnic?"

"Of course," he sighed again. "I promised, didn't I?"  



	9. Home

"I think I'll name him Cameron," Vala mused, dancing the teddy bear on her bent knee.

She was sitting on the blanket with one leg stretched out in front of her, pink-sandaled foot twitching in time with the music from the car stereo. Daniel, lying beside her, popped open an eye in surprise.

_"Cameron?"_ he demanded.

"Why not?" she asked innocently.

"Well--it's…not exactly my idea of a good name for a cute, fluffy toy," he said lamely.

"Oh?" Vala asked, smirking as she set the bear on his chest.

"Mitchell's a lot of things," Daniel lifted his head slightly to look at it. "Cute isn't one of them."

"Well," Vala shifted, resting her palm on his stomach and letting her hand slowly smooth upward. "What would you suggest?"

Daniel's abdominal muscles jumped and fluttered in response, but he managed to keep the ragged edge from his breath as he replied, "Teal'c."

_"Teal'c!"_ Vala cried, giving him a playful swat before she snatched back the toy.

"Why not?" Daniel asked.

"Teal'c is your idea of _fluffy?_" she asked.

"Teal'c is very fluffy," retorted Daniel, shutting both eyes again.

"Of course he is," Vala sighed, sitting up suddenly to reach for the cookies. She fingered a couple out and held one over Daniel's mouth. Still without opening his eyes, he parted his lips to receive it, and she sat back, thoughtfully twisting off the top of her own. She gave it a few tentative strokes with her tongue and remarked, "These really are better with milk."

"Yeah, they are," Daniel agreed, suddenly sitting up. "Vala, there's--"

She turned toward him at the same time, asking, "Daniel, can I ask you--"

Both paused, smiling permission for the other to continue. Then, Daniel shook his head. "You first," he offered.

"You sure?" Vala bit her lip.

"I went first last time," he nodded.

"Well, all right," she took a breath. "You know when we were in the warehouse?"

"Mmm," he frowned.

"Well, why didn't you just…zat me?" she asked, punctuating the question with a shrug.

Daniel's frown deepened. "Do I really need to answer that?" he asked.

"I'd like you to," Vala said after a moment's silence.

"It had to be your choice to stay," he said quietly. "After you had your memories back, would you have ever trusted me again?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But I certainly would have understood."

"I need you to trust me, Vala," he said, looking briefly down at the blanket. Her hand lay between them and he hesitantly picked it up. Meeting her eyes again, continued softly, "There's something I started to tell you last night…before--before you fell asleep."

Now it was her turn to glance away. She quickly turned back, though, and the flush in her cheeks told him that she probably had a good idea what he was going to say. The trepidation he thought he saw in her expression confused him, and he bit his lip, but decided to press on.

"I realized last night that I think…no, I don't think, I know. I owe you an apology, Vala. There's--there's obviously more going on between us than, um…friendship. I mean, there's--there's definitely--there's always been--"

"Chemistry?" she supplied.

He nodded. "But I think you've been trying to tell me that you wanted something else--more. Haven't you?"

She moved her eyes down to their linked hands again and nodded slowly. "I think so," she admitted.

"And I haven't been listening. I'm sorry," he told her.

"Daniel, it's all right…" she trailed off without looking up.

"No, it's…it's really not," he shook his head, then frowned. "I'm…honestly not sure what I want. But I think--know--I'd like it if…if we could really have a date. Vala, please look at me."

She brought her head up slowly, forcing a smile, but he caught the hint of tears in her eyes before she forced them away. He felt himself go cold as his unexpectedly burgeoning hopes fell away.

"I should be happy you said that, shouldn't I?" she asked.

"What's wrong?" he brought his free hand to her cheek.

"Daniel, I like…what we've been doing this weekend. I like being friends with you. Of course, that's not to say I wouldn't like it better if we were more--but those things have a way of not working for me."

"We can stay friends, Vala," he promised. His arms slipped around her, and he gently pulled her back against his chest. Settling his chin on her shoulder, he smiled softly. "No matter what happens…or doesn't happen…I always want to be your friend."

"Good," she smiled, turning to look at him again.

Both laughed softly when their noses brushed, but Daniel drew back slightly, bringing up a finger to trace her bottom lip. "I just know that I can't keep wanting to kiss you as much as I do and not even ask you to go on a date with me."

"Well, darling," she said teasingly. "Hadn't you better ask?"

Daniel smiled again, letting his forehead rest against hers, and nodded. "Will you have dinner with me on Friday?"

"Mmm-hmm," she agreed. "But that is going to give you a rather long wait."

"Huh?" asked Daniel.

She turned away again, slouching against him and picked up his hand off her stomach. "You'll have to wait all week long for that kiss if we don't go out again before Friday," she said, idly playing with his fingers.

"You're gonna hold me to that?" his mouth flew open. 

"Absolutely," she nodded.

He sighed and hung his head, but knew there was no point in objecting. Instead, he settled his chin on the top of her head and tightened his arms as a mandolin began to play on the radio. The song was slow and gentle, and he found himself rocking her in time as the singer began:

_I don't know what brought us here  
Something in the stars said you and me  
I don't know where this feeling comes from  
Surely it was meant to be…_

"Do you know who this is?" he asked curiously.

She shook her head. "It's the country station isn't it?"

Have to ask Mitchell when we get home," nodded Daniel.

_I've known you even in my dreams  
My eyes are open  
My heart can see…_

"Y'know, I think I've loved you since Ver Ager," he confessed.

"Daniel, you've loved me since Prometheus," she laughed.

His eyes widened, but he didn't say anything for a minute, considering. Then, hesitantly, he nodded agreement. Turning his head to replace his chin with his cheek, he closed his eyes, feeling a warm mix of relief and hope spread through his body.

"Did I tell you that you were the first person I actually remembered?" she asked quietly.

"No," he replied without opening his eyes. "But I knew."

"Do you know that I love you?" she smiled.

"I do now," he promised.

_As sure as stars light the midnight sky  
As sure as children wonder why  
As sure as newborn babies cry  
I was born to give my love to you…_

It was still dark on Monday morning by the time they finally made it back to Cheyenne Mountain. Neither were surprised to find their teammates waiting in the commissary. Arms linked around each others backs, they walked inside, ready to face the music.

"See, I knew it!" Cam exclaimed. "Didn't I say it?"

"Indeed you did, ColonelMitchell," Teal'c smirked.

"Fell asleep, huh?" snickered Sam.

"We did!" Daniel replied. "No…really."

The room exploded with the team's laughter and he sighed, staring at the ceiling. Vala judiciously decided there was no use in trying to convince them, and simply set the picnic basket on the table in front of them.

"We have leftovers," she grinned. "Anyone hungry?"

Teal'c leaned forward to open the lid and reached into the basket. A moment later, the Jaffa's eyebrow rose, and he pulled out the teddy bear, which Vala had nestled inside on the blanket. Cam covered his lips with his hand to keep from cracking up, but Sam couldn't stop herself. Vala hurriedly snatched the bear back from Teal'c before even _he_ started laughing.

"That," she said, sliding into an empty chair, "is mine."

Vala happily began dancing the bear on the table, and Daniel grinned unconsciously as he moved to take the chair beside her. Before he could sit, though, Cam suddenly looked down at their feet, eyes widening in disbelief.

"Lose your shoes, Jackson?" he asked with a snort.

"At least I didn't lose my pants," Daniel retorted.

"All right, now that's just not funny!" Cam declared as the team dissolved in hysterics around him.

Daniel began to hope that the ribbing had, at least for the moment, been deflected, but as the laughing fit ended, Sam leaned across the table with a conspiratorial look at Vala. "So," she whispered. "What happened _before_ you fell asleep?"

"Nothing," Vala said honestly.

"That--that means something did, right?" Cam asked. "Cause if nothing happened you'd _say_ something did. You wouldn't wanna lose your rep."

"Mitchell, nothing _happened!"_ she raised her hands innocently.

"C'mon, Vala. You can tell me," Sam tried again.

"I didn't even kiss him," Vala insisted. "No. Really. I didn't!"  



	10. Reality

He earned more than a few snickers as he carried the roses up the hall. It was surprisingly easy to ignore them, but he still felt a strange, almost queasy sensation in the pit of his stomach. Pausing in front of Vala's door, he tucked the vase behind his back and raised his hand. Then, he dropped it again. It took him two more tries to actually make his knuckles connect with the metal, despite the fact that he knew he was being ridiculous.

Inside, he could hear her heels clicking toward him, and he released a nervous breath. She was going to tease him mercilessly--run her fingers through his hair and ask how he could _possibly_ be nervous after all they'd been through. She'd be right, too, but things between them had been changing so rapidly lately that he never knew which tack to take with her. After last weekend, all bets were off. She wasn't the annoying little itch he couldn't scratch anymore, she was…

"You're early," she smiled as she opened the door.

"A little," he nodded, pulling the flowers out from behind his back again. "They're lavender roses. It's--uh--traditional for the guy to--um--"

"I know," Vala nodded, her smile widening as she took them. "They're lovely, Daniel, thank you."

"Oh. Right. Uh, I knew that," Daniel paused. "I mean, I knew you knew…about the flowers…not that they were lovely. I mean--"

Vala hid a laugh by lowering her nose into the soft petals, then stepped aside to let him in. He stood awkwardly, watching her set the flowers on the table and then start to rearrange them. After a moment or two, he let his eyes slowly drift over the room, and smiled at the sight of the picnic basket. It was on the TV where he'd set it for on Monday morning, but his eyebrows rose when he realized that the bear was no longer on top of it.

"Hey, where's--where's--" he broke off, fighting the sudden urge to loosen his collar. She probably thought he sounded like an infatuated adolescent.

Vala followed his gaze and grinned. Walking over to the bed, she folded down the top of the comforter to reveal the teddy bear, who'd apparently been spending his nights on her pillow. Daniel smiled a little and wandered over to pick it up while she moved back to the mirror.

"I wasn't quite ready," she explained as she slid into the seat at her vanity table. "I'll be quick."

"It's okay," Daniel shook his head, flicking his eyes back to the bear in his hand. He wondered how she could seem so at ease, but as he watched her fuss and make faces over her hair, he realized that she had to feel every bit as nervous as he did.

Finally, she slapped the brush back down on the table and grabbed a handful of hair in each hand. Pulling them to either side, she sighed, "Maybe I should just wear pigtails!"

Daniel set the bear back on the pillow and walked up behind her. "I love your pigtails," he said, slipping his hands onto her shoulders. He bent toward her neck and felt her shiver slightly, but she jerked her head to the side a moment before his lips touched the softness of her skin.

"No kissing," she declared.

"What?" he frowned, perplexed. "Vala, this _is_ the second date."

"Yes," she taunted, smiling as her finger reached up to tap him on the nose. "And if you're a very good boy, you may have a kiss at the _end_ of the second date."

"Okay," he sighed, hanging his head. He stepped back and walked over to sit on the arm of the couch, shucking off his suit jacket and toying idly with his keys. "That a new dress?"

"What? This old thing?" Vala teased. It was probably the reddest dress that Daniel have ever seen; long and elegant, sleeveless, but the v-neck revealed surprisingly less than he would have expected.

"You look really…" he started, then trailed off as he caught a knowing smile reflected in the mirror. 

"I look?" she prompted.

"Well, I was going to say 'you look beautiful'," Daniel replied. "But that's kinda cliché, isn't it? I mean, you're expecting me to say that."

"It would still be nice to hear, darling," she shook her head gently.

"Okay."

"Okay _what?_" Vala asked, half turning to look at him.

"Okay. You're beautiful," he told her quietly. "You're--you're a vision."

"Nope," Vala shook her head, turning back to the mirror.

Daniel's eyes widened. "Whaddaya mean nope?"

"Well, now you've gone and ruined the sappy mood," Vala sighed. 

"I love you," Daniel laughed, running a hand over his face.

"Of course you do," Vala smirked as she set down the brush and stood up.

"That's--that's not what you're supposed to say," Daniel stammered.

"Oh?" Vala reached back to grab the red sequined jacket on the way to the door, where she stood, waiting expectantly for him to hold it open. "What am I supposed to say?"

He hurried to do so, answering, "I dunno…'I love you too' or something might be good."

"I love you, too, Daniel," she said as she flounced out.

"Well, now you just ruined the mood," he smirked, closing the door behind him.

"It doesn't work when you do it," she retorted, pausing until he'd slid an arm around her shoulders.

"What?" he asked.

"The crack about ruining the mood," she explained. "It's not believable at all."

"Always gotta have the last word, don't you?" he sighed, kissing the top of her hair.

"Absolutely."

------

The skies had been clear when he went inside, but by the time they reached the surface, fat raindrops were rapidly splashing down into the already huge puddles on the ground. Daniel groaned, half expecting Vala to pull off her high heels and make him jump around in the water.

"Let me guess, you hate the rain," she stated, looking at him with a raised eyebrow as she started for the car.

He returned the expression. "Let me guess--you love it."

"It depends," she shrugged. "I don't like it when it's really cold and icy in the winter. Warm rain like this is all right. Especially now…didn't I see something about wildfires on the news again?"

"You watch the news?" he asked.

"Naturally, darling. I admit, much of it is incredibly boring, but how else would I gain any valuable information about the political goings on of this little planet?" she asked.

"You could try reading the papers. Or news magazines," Daniel suggested.

"Well, yes," agreed Vala. "But then someone would have to buy me a subscription."

"Oh, of course," Daniel bit his cheek to keep from laughing as he held the car door open for her. "How about I let you read mine when I'm through?"

"Would you?" she tilted her head up at him. "Well, aren't you sweet, Daniel. Could I have your archaeological journals too?"

"No," he replied flatly.

"Why not?" she asked, sliding into the car. "You don't think I'd actually try to use what minimal information I found in them to appropriate…what's this?"

Daniel grinned as she picked up the box of chocolates and slid off the large red bow. "Oh, I forgot to bring those down with me," he shrugged, pushing the door shut.

"Oh, Daniel, you bought out the store!" she purred when he opened his own door a few moments later. "Do you do this for every girl?"

"Well…tradition…y'know," he replied, keeping his tone purposely indifferent.

Her face fell as he started the car, and she forced a nod, fixing her gaze down on the candy. "Oh. Of course," she said, making a show of trying to decide which piece she wanted.

Daniel sighed and bit his lip. He turned, hesitating briefly before he reached to guide her face back toward him. "Vala, no, I don't. The truth is, I--I'm not really good at…girls…dating…whatever you wanna call it. I tend to make an ass of myself on a regular basis."

"Well, I think you're off to a fine start," she smiled, then bit her own lip. "Wait. Um. I really didn't mean that--I meant--"

"I know what you meant," Daniel promised, laughing. He leaned toward her mouth and halted halfway, sighing again as he returned his attention to the car.

Lightning started flashing just as they left the security checkpoint. Vala slid closer to him, and he felt her shivering, though he couldn't quite tell whether the reaction was one of fear or delight. He imagined the latter, and had the impression confirmed a second or two later.

"Once, when I was about twelve, my brother and I were caught in a downpour like this," she related softly. "We were about a mile from home and started running. The rain was coming down in sheets, harder and harder with each pass, and it seemed like the faster we ran, the harder it came after us. We were laughing hysterically, utterly soaked , and filthy by the time we burst into my stepmother's kitchen."

"Bet she let you have it," Daniel chuckled.

"Oooh, boy did she," nodded Vala. "Both of us, and Voss was her favorite. He rarely ever got a whipping, but he did that time."

"Where is he now?" asked Daniel curiously.

Vala tensed against him, and he could feel her struggling not to draw back. "I…don't know. I haven't seen him in a long time."

"I'm sorry, honey," he said softly, glancing over at her as another streak lit up the sky.

She shook her head. "It's all right. Certainly not your fault."

"I'm still sorry," Daniel murmured.

Vala smiled indulgently and fell silent, letting him focus on driving. The road was obviously slick, and though there was little traffic, his shoulders were tense with concentration and effort. The rhythmic beating of the windshield wipers was the only sound that could be heard for several minutes before the flash of lightning blinded them both.

Daniel instinctively slammed on the brakes, and Vala screamed as the safety belt tightened across her chest. She heard the crack and groan of the tree before her vision had cleared enough to see it, then shrieked again, burying her face against his shoulder as it appeared in front of them. It barely missed the hood of the car as it crashed down onto the road. Vala clutched him hard for several heartbeats, then cautiously peeked up again.

"You okay?" Daniel asked, clinging just as tightly to her. He could feel his own body shaking and had to force himself not to pull her back against him when she started to sit up again.

"Okay," she gave a tremulous little nod. "Okay, I think. Are you?"

"I'm--uh--I think so," he replied, swallowing. Vala moved back against his shoulder and he lowered his lips to her hair, rubbing her back reassuringly. "That--that was scary."

"Really scary," she nodded.

------

"I'd really love to get out of this dress," Vala remarked as the door shut behind them. She left Daniel gaping after her and walked into his living room, pausing to examine a statue on the fireplace mantle.

Neither had particularly felt like going through the motions of a formal dinner after the emergency crews had showed up to clear the tree. Daniel had managed to avert suggestions that they go to a local ER to get checked out by promising that they would head back to Cheyenne Mountain and have the CMO examine them, then be driven back to his apartment.

"This looks Goa'uld," she speculated, glancing over her shoulder.

"Um," Daniel coughed, finally shutting his mouth. "Egyptian…actually. It--used to belong to Catherine Langford. Remember I told you about her?"

"What's wrong, darling?" Vala frowned.

"Nothing," he quickly shook his head, resisting the urge to spring forward and snatch the precious relic.

"So," she set it down again, "do you have anything I could change into?"

"Huh? Oh! You mean you wanna _change_ out of your dress!" Daniel breathed a sigh of relief.

"Disappointed?" Vala winked.

"Yes," he shot back without thinking then felt his cheeks redden.

"Well, it's about time you admitted it," she replied.

Daniel shook his head and walked off into his bedroom, returning a few minutes later with an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts he rarely wore. He led her to the bathroom and handed her the bundle of clothing. Leaning inside to snap on the light, he winced, wishing he'd thought to pick up the wet towel off the floor on his way to pick her up tonight.

"No peeking," Vala teased as she slid past him. Her hand shot back to tickle his stomach, and he made a playful grab for it, but she pulled away and kicked the door shut when he tried to follow her inside.

"Right," he sighed, turning back toward the bedroom to change his own clothes.

He'd just stepped back out into the hall when the bathroom door creaked halfway open and Vala stuck her head out. A hand followed, and she waggled her index finger in a beckoning gesture.

"Daniel!" she whispered.

"What?" he laughed, slowly walking up to her.

"Have you got one of those safety pin things?" she asked hopefully.

"One of what?" he frowned.

"Sam gave me one last week when my bra strap--"

"I don't need to know," Daniel rolled his eyes. "What do you need a safety pin for?"

"Well, you know, your waist is just a _tad_ bigger than mine," she replied.

"Oh. Yeah…sorry. Stay right there," he nodded, turning to gaze thoughtfully off into the living room. 

It took some searching, during which he could hear Vala sighing impatiently and tapping her fingers on the door whenever he crossed the hall again, but eventually he did find a pile of safety pins in the bottom of the kitchen catch-all drawer. He dutifully brought it back to her, and she thanked him by slamming the door in his face when he moved in to steal a kiss.

"_That's_ what you call being a good boy?" she called from behind the door.

"Actually, I'd call it being a _very_ good boy," he muttered, walking back into the living room.

"What was that?" Vala asked.

"Oh, nothing," he replied, smirking as he picked up the remote control. He'd left it on The Weather Channel that morning and scowled at the forecast, then flipped it off in search of a movie. He rarely watched television anyway, and was certain that as soon as Vala was through, she'd grab the clicker for herself, but he entertained a faint hope that he could still find something they might _both_ enjoy.

"Just once, I'd like to get through a dinner date with you without something insane happening!" Vala declared with gusto. She came out of the bathroom with a bounce in her step that Daniel could tell she didn't feel and threw herself down on the couch beside him.

Automatically, one arm slid behind her back and he tugged her close-- then sighed when she plucked the remote from his other hand. Her head nestled onto his shoulder, though, and he melted--as she probably knew he would, which in itself was irritating until she paused on the History Channel, where they were airing a rather bad documentary on Feudal Japan.

"You don't want to watch this," he smiled knowingly.

"But you won't admit to wanting to watch _Beauty and the Beast,"_ she replied. "They're replaying it tonight, I think."

"_Beauty and the…_ the Disney movie?" Daniel's eyebrows rose.

"Sam and I watched it the other night," Vala nodded. "She says it's one of the only Disney musicals she actually enjoys."

"She likes it because Belle's smart. She reads--she's empowered. Disney made a point of making her more appealing to women than most of their previous heroines had been."

"Aha!" Vala pointed a finger. "So you admit you've seen it!"

"I never said I hadn't," he shook his head fondly. "Sam, Teal'c, and I have all seen it; it was Cassie's favorite as a kid."

"Cassie…the little girl from Hanka?" Vala asked, frowning.

"Janet's daughter, yep," nodded Daniel. "Although she's not exactly a little girl anymore."

"No, she wouldn't be, I suppose," Vala mused. "Sam showed me some photos she had in her wallet, but I didn't realize that you were all as close with Cassie as she is."

"Yeah, I guess we all are in one way or another," Daniel said thoughtfully. "Janet was…well, she was…special to me…"

"Oh," Vala looked up, startled. "Sam hadn't mentioned that either. Were you two--did you--"

Daniel shook his head sadly. "No. We might've been. I guess I was always too scared. Scared I'd mess things up the way I did with Sarah. Scared I'd…fail her the way I thought I had failed Sha're."

"Oh, Daniel," Vala murmured gently, slipping her head back onto his shoulder. 

Her hand reached for his and he let her take it, then drew in a long breath. "Like I said, I'm…not really good with these kinds of relationships."

"Prince Charming is a nice idea," Vala replied, flipping on the Disney Channel. "But I'd really prefer not to date a figment of my imagination."

They tuned in just in time to hear Gaston declare proudly, "_I use antlers in all of my decorating!"_ and she wrinkled her nose.

"Or him?" Daniel asked.

"Definitely not him," she agreed.

They fell silent, both engrossed in the movie until the next shot of the withering magical rose, when Vala let out a worried whimper. Daniel arched an eyebrow, turning to look at her. She glanced up questioningly, and he looked back at the screen.

"I thought you'd seen this already," he said.

"I have," she nodded.

"Then what are you worried about?" he smiled.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Vala, you were just making worried noises when they showed the rose dying," he pointed out.

"I was?" her eyes widened.

"Yes," he laughed.

"Oh," she cleared her throat. "Well, I guess I just--got a bit caught up in the story. It is rather compelling, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess, if you don't think about how different it is from the real story," Daniel shrugged. "That's the thing with Disney, I think. You have to just accept that the plot's going to deviate…what?"

"You mean this actually happened?" Vala stared at him in wide-eyed amazement. "What caused the beast? Some sort of mutation?"

"Huh? No…no, no. It's--it's a fairy tale. A children's story. Actually, originally, fairy tales weren't children's stories at all. They were more like cautionary tales…but no. It--it didn't _happen._ It's just that Disney has a habit of distorting…"

"Make believe?" Vala interrupted. "And you'd like it better if their version of make believe was closer to the traditionally accepted one?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds ridiculous," Daniel frowned.

"If the shoe fits, darling," Vala raised an eyebrow.

"No, that's Cinderella," Daniel retorted dryly.

"Cinder who?"

"Cinderella," he explained. "Another fairy tale. It's about a girl who wears glass slippers to the prince's ball and loses one. He hunts through the whole kingdom searching for the one girl with feet tiny enough to fit the slipper. It's probably the origin of that expression."

"Oh, I thought Mitchell made it up," she nodded.

"Did he say that?" Daniel asked, flopping his head back against the couch in exasperation with their CO.

"No," Vala assured him, chuckling. "When he said it, it just seemed like something he'd have made up himself. So, tell me how the real story is different from the movie."

"Besides the fact that no one in the story bursts out singing at every opportunity?" Daniel asked.

Vala lifted her head and narrowed her eyes darkly at him. He lowered his own head in response, but her hand came up quickly, flattening against his face, and she gave him a firm push away. He let loose an exaggerated sigh and fell back against the cushions again.

"Okay. Well, the rose for one," he began.

"No _rose?_" exclaimed Vala. "I _like_ the rose! How can there be no magic rose?"

"Well, there _are_ roses," Daniel said. "A whole garden of them, if I remember. Just no magical ones like in the Disney version. It isn't really specified how long the prince had lived as a Beast, and there was no requirement that he be changed back before the last petal fell. It was just that he would stay a Beast until he found someone who loved him despite his appearance…"

"But what about the rose?" she persisted.

"What rose?" he asked, feigning confusion.

"Daniel!"

"Oh, right. That rose. Well, Beauty's father was actually a merchant with three daughters--"

"You mean Belle," Vala corrected.

"No, I mean Beauty. That was her name in the story. Disney changed her name. The--um--origins of Beauty and the Beast can be traced to France, so they set the story there and named her Belle," he explained.

"Why?" she asked as her brows rose.

"It's…the French word for Beauty," he shrugged. "Anyway, the guy had three daughters, and he was supposed to go away on a long trip. The other two were greedy and asked for all sorts of presents--"

"Oooh, you speak French, don't you?" she interrupted. 

"What?"

"You must speak French. You speak Goa'uld and Ancient and who knows how many other languages, Daniel," she looked up at him. "You do, don't you?"

"So what?" he asked.

"Say something to me in French," she told him eagerly.

"No!" he cried.

"Why not?" she insisted.

"Vala, do you want to hear this story or not?" he sighed.

"Well, of course I do, but I don't see why you can't say one _little_ word--"

"Good," Daniel cut her off. "So, the only thing that Beauty asked for was a rose. Well, the father was gone for a long time, and somehow lost all his money and belongings on the way home, and ended up at the Beast's Castle where he was wandering around in the garden and decided to pick a rose to give to her--"

"How did he lose everything?" Vala inquired.

"I don't know, I don't remember," admitted Daniel. "It's been a long time since I've read the story."

"Well, what kind of storyteller are you?" she huffed.

Daniel covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head in disbelief. "Why don't we just watch the movie?"

"Good idea," she nodded, subsiding for a moment or two. Just as Daniel had settled back into the story, she poked him in the ribs. "Got any popcorn?"

"I don't…think so," he said absently.

"Oreos?" she asked hopefully.

"No. Wait--I might," he nodded, getting up.

She sprung off the couch as well and followed him into the kitchen, where she watched him root around in various cabinets and drawers until he produced not Oreos but an out-dated package of Keebler Rainbow Deluxe cookies. Vala peered curiously over his shoulder and made a face when she caught sight of the expiration date.

"Daniel, not only are those not Oreos, they're over a year old," she complained.

"Yeah," he nodded, shoving them absently onto the counter. He looked up again and said, "Well, I do have these. Just bought them, too."

"What?" Vala asked.

"Look," he grinned, turning to face her with the package held against his chest. "Hershey Kisses."

"Oh, you're so very subtle," Vala smirked.

He returned the look, then started for the living room again, but caught sight of the unopened jar of peanut butter on top of the refrigerator. He gave it a long, thoughtful look and turned around again, setting the candies on the kitchen table. Vala eyed him suspiciously, but he walked over and quickly took her by the shoulders.

"I've got an idea," he announced as he walked her back to the living room. "You just stay in here and watch the movie."

"What?" she asked.

"It's a surprise," he told her, hurrying out again. She started to follow, but he turned in the doorway, planting a hand on either side of it. Jerking his chin toward the couch he insisted, "C'mon, just…watch the movie, okay?"

"All right," she sighed, stifling a laugh as he turned away again.

She was as good as her word and kept to the living room as long as the movie was on, but as soon as he heard the closing credits start to roll, the TV snapped off. He pretended not to notice, methodically rolling and placing balls of cookie dough on the sheet in front of him and then lightly pressing each with a fork.

"The apron's just the perfect touch, darling," she teased.

He grinned over his shoulder, rather surprised that he _didn't_ feel like an idiot. "Yeah, I had a feeling you'd say that."

She ducked her head, not quite managing to hide a snort of laughter as she walked over to examine his efforts. Sliding her hand over the flour-covered edge of the table, she said, "I may just have to consider revising my opinion on dating prince charming."

"Oh yeah?" Daniel turned toward her. "So's that mean your prince charming gets a kiss?"

She leaned closer, slipping a finger under his chin, and almost let their lips touch before she whispered, "No. But I will help you get the peanut butter off your nose."

Daniel's jaw dropped and he pulled back, now feeling himself flush all the way to the roots of his hair. He spun and hurried to the sink, where he fumbled for a paper towel and ran it under the tap while Vala grinned wickedly at him.

"You should have let me lick it off," she laughed as he scrubbed furiously at the offending goop.

"Is it gone?" he demanded.

"Yes, Daniel," she promised, still laughing. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Black eyed susans," he explained, walking back to the table. He dusted some more flour on his hands and picked up some more dough, demonstrating the process. "They're peanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss. You can do this with spoons, I guess, but Janet always said it was easier with your hands. When the sheet's full, you bake them, and while they're still warm, you press one of the candies on top… what?" he asked as her grin faltered.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "I'm just glad that you seem to have a domestic side, Daniel, because after being married to Tomin, I think I'm through playing the good little wife."

Daniel dropped the half-shaped cookie and turned to face her. She _had_ finally opened up to him about her experiences in the Ori Galaxy on the way to the beach last week, but there were still things he didn't know--and one thing in particular had been nagging at him quite a lot. He honestly hadn't felt ready to ask the question until now, but supposed that the longer he put it off, the harder it would become. He started to reach for her, then caught sight of his hands again and dropped them with an apologetic shrug.

"Did you love him?" he asked softly.

She shook her head. "I cared for him," she admitted, biting her lip. "I think I…even forgave him for leaving me out there so long. He did come and unchain me in the end. And I suppose I felt a bit guilty for--letting him believe that Adria was his child. But I--don't think I could love a man who could do the things he's proven himself to be capable of."

He nodded slowly and stared at the ground, not speaking for a long time. When he did look up again, he found himself reaching to put his arms around her again, and sighed. She flashed a reassuring smile and took his hand in hers.

"Vala, I want to tell you that you're safe now," he said, shaking his head. "I want to be able to promise that no one's ever going to hurt you again, but I can't. I can't even really promise you that I won't hurt you. But I never want to."

"I know that, Daniel," she smiled tremulously, slipping her free hand up onto his neck.

"So--so, do I still get to be your prince charming?" he stammered.

Vala shook her head, bringing her lips almost within reach again. "You get to be my reality."

He swallowed hard, feeling his breath come in short bursts and his heart start to hammer as she guided his head that final inch. Heedless of the mess now, he pulled her against him, conscious for an electric moment of every inch of her, every curve. Then their lips finally met, and he lost all conscious thought beyond her lips pressed firmly, finally, to his.

_Finis_  



End file.
